Two things can
happen when a severe desperation grips a person or a community. Any ray of
hope can multiply into a wild fire or it can create more desperation. That
is what's happening with the Muslims after Barack Obama got elected as the
new president of the United
States of America. A simple truth will
be enough to explain that. The position of any US president in the world
affairs is a very profound one. He being the leader of the free world can’t
be swayed by emotion. To keep his nation in its right place he has to play
a very special role. He represents a predominantly Christian nation this is
a fundamental truth. He will never do anything which will question his
dedication and upright patriotism to his nation. I understand why the
Muslims are so happy to see Obama because of his Muslim ancestry. It will
be stupid on the part of Obama to show any kind of special love for the
Muslims. There are many people in his nation who are still not reconciled
with his Kenyan Muslim connection. The high calorie election debate which
has ended in a surprise for many skeptics is really a kind of unprecedented
peaceful revolution in the United
States . There was a frustration among the voters who saw a
decline in the role of a super power. They want their glory back with their
economic supremacy re-established. Obama is very much aware of these
aspirations of his nation and he will not deviate from this exalted mission
and will do everything possible to prove himself worthy of his office. The
president of the United
States is not a dictator in any way. No US
president can afford to become a dictator. Therefore he is bound to work
under the traditional framework of the constitution. If the Muslims think
that a pullout from Iraq
and Afghanistan
by president Obama will make the Muslim world an abode of peace and
prosperity, they are wrong.
The conflict with the
west started not with of 9/11 alone. There was religious fundamentalism in
Islam and that was only galvanized by the establishment of Israel in
1948. Even if Obama is successful to bring a peaceful resolution of the
Israeli Palestinian conflict that is not going to pour cold water in the
current issues faced by the Muslims. That must be sorted out by Muslims
themselves. Obama has no role to play in this fundamentalist chaos. Islam
as a faith is standing in the edge of time. This is a decision time. Shall
we accept changes or we shall still worship the dogmas? Shall we declare supremacy of religion
over man? We must be able to identify our position in the ever changing
time. This faith should not be a prisoner of the illiterate mullahs. This
faith must be liberated from the clutches of the vicious dogmas. Barack
Obama is not an answer to all these crucial questions.
Akbar Hussain
